Inking-ribbon.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE. GEORGE T. -NETON', OF DOVER BAY, OHIO, 'ASSIGNOR TQTHE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH COMPANY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

I :Ninna-RIBBON;

' Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Application led October 21, 1907. Serial N o. 398,304.

To all whom 'it may concern:

.Dover Bay, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful'Im rovement in Inking-Ribbons, of which the ollowingA is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In typewriting maehlnes, printing 'machines, datin machines, and other places where an inking ribbon is used, the soiling of the operators fingers in securing the ribbon to 1ts spool has always been an objectionable feature. To obviate this, it has been proposed to provide the ribbon with an uninked fabric extension. This not only increases the expense, but is unsatisfactory by reason of the ribbon pulling unevenly on such extension, and the extension` itself is very liable to become so soiled as to ink the fingers. Owing to the method of manufacture of' ribbons incontinuous lengths,

it is not feasible to leave a portion of the original fabric uninked adjacent to the ends.

I have discovered that the desired result of preventing soiling the operators hands may be accomplished by providing the inked ribbon near its ends with a suitable coating or protection which is impervious to ink. This coating has the additional feature of forming a protection for the wound-up spool on the` outside, preventing its vdrying out and obviating thev necessity of a tin-foil wrapping. The present invention comprises broadly as a new articlel of manufacture an inked ribbon provided near its end with a protection outside of the ink. More speciiically, the invention includes an inked ribbon having a chemical glazing or surface outside of the ink. The further feature of the glazing being impervious to moisture to protect the wound-up spool is Valso a feature of this invention. The protection desired can be very'satisfactorily provided by a coating of gelatin and formaldehyde. This may be applied by dipping the ribbon in such mixture. A satisfactory mixture may be made by soaking gelatin in cold water for twent minutes in the proportion of 30 grains o 'gelatin to each ounce of water, then heatingthe same in a suitable double boiler to melt the gelatin, then just solution 15 V'before using adding to each ounce of the ops of formaldehyde, and then tion natura solution. The 'formaldehyde hardens the gelatin and the same makes a coating over the end of the ribbon which, while giving the protection desired, is so flexible as' to be of no interference whatever in winding the ribbon or securing the end. The coat-` ing described protects the ribbon, so that it is impossible for the operators fingers to receive ink through the coating. The coatin is water-proo and it is provided on the en s for a suicient distance preferably to make one complete turn about the wound-up `immersing the end of the ribbon in the hot spool, thus making an absolute water-proof covering for the spool and doing away with the necessity of external coverings.

The drawing is aperspective view of a spool and a ribbon partially unwound therefrom.

In this view A represents the main inked portion, B the protected portion, and C a. suitable spool. The drawing shows the ribbon having substantially the proportions suitable for a standard typewriter, but -it is to be understood that the invention is equally adaptable for wide ribbons such as used on the Multigraph, or, indeed, any size or sha e of ribbon. The coated porljly has a somewhat different appearance from the rest of the ribbon, thus apprising the operator of the portion he may finger. This diiierence in appearance may be heightened by putting a pigment in the coating solution, as, for example, a suitable handled without soiling the operators hands.

2. An inked impression ribbon protected by a chemical impregnating the ribbon and covering a portion of the ink.

3. An inked impression fabric having means impregnating an inked portion thereof, such impregnant being adjacent to the endof the fabric and extending for a sufficie'nt distance to enable it to cover the fabric when wound up.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an inked impression ribbon having la chemical impervious to ink impregnating a portion of the inked surface and thereby protecting and Water-proof, said chemical impregnatthe uncoated portion suticicnt for detection, but Without preventing observance at the coated portion of the general color of the ribbon.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiX my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE rr. NEWToN.v

the operators hands from being soiled by contact with such ortion of the surface.

5. An inked ribbon having near its ends over the ink a chemical impervious to ink ing the ribbon and protecting the operators hands from soiling and adapted to protect the Wound-u ribbon from moisture.

6. An inking ribbon having near its end :L protectin chemical( coating, such coated portion having :i dierent appearance from l Witnesses:

W. DUNLAP, ALBERT H. BATES. 

